We’re still in a crisis mode with our #1 dog, Ramirez. He is stable but not showing a lot of improvement. He is not able to stand or walk on his own. He’s trying with all his might to walk and he sure doesn’t understand why he can’t. Dr. Carson, our holistic equine vet, has made a few house calls to give Ramirez acupuncture. This dog is who introduced me to the ancient ways when he was about 10 years old. He has an arthritic back and neck so he’s been getting therapy for that for many years. He’s no stranger to needles. He’s also no stranger to their ability to allow healing.

The needles are going into points in his head because either condition (vestibular or head trauma or both) are related to the brain.

We are all concerned for our boy’s well being. You never know how an animal is going to use the energy released when doing acupuncture. They can use it to allow healing or use it to leave.

He gets a well deserved rest after his therapy.

His favorite cat, Kobi, is on hand for moral support and love. They often cuddle together. Please keep him in your prayers.

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Hey folks, Scottie here again. As you know, this week has been a rough one for us, with our #1 son Ramirez facing the greatest physical challenge of his life. We’ve learned over time that you have to take the good with the bad. And today marks a small milestone for his roommate Frank. You might recall that four months ago, Frank suffered a massive seizure, and we thought we would be losing him. Well, turns out he’s quite a trooper, and today was his sixteen-week anniversary since that happened.

He’s definitely not the Pookie he used to be (he and his sibling Sam are known as the “Pookie Bros.”). Sometimes he walks in a circle, sometimes he can’t finish his breakfast. But his little heart is still strong, and he’s as sweet as he’s ever been.

Back in his heyday, he slept on the pillow above my head and guarded me from anyone who would dare interrupt our napping. It saddens me that he has to sleep in a soft crate now for his protection, but after all those years watching over me, I certainly owe him a few.

We talk a lot about the “Holy Trinity” of Ramirez, Jackson and Rebecca. Frank was #4, but his impact was just as strong as those three. I consider every day we have with him a blessing at this point. He will have his very own chapter in our book… which will be written sometime in the next couple decades.

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We’ve had more heartbreaking drama in our family this weekend. Our #1 dog, Ramirez, aka Prince Ramirez of the Highlands, is suffering from what is believed to be a bout of vestibular syndrome. He’s the 3rd dog we’ve had with this condition and that’s really strange. We started his roller coaster ride (literally) on Sunday early afternoon with a panic stricken trip to the emergency vet. Our friend & vet, Dr. Rick, called us as we were heading home and we all agree that we have to wait and see if he can come out of this. His age being 17 is definitely not in his favor. Please say prayers for this extraordinary little man. He is our heart and is the reason so many animals have been saved these past 17 years. It all began with this one little 10 pound dog. You can see what we are up against by watching the video. Keep in mind, 30 min. before he fell off the bed, he ran across the yard to me.

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She popped him out at 4:04am!

Visit the Miracle Horse Rescue blog for more pics and video of the birth, and then check out the live cam for the latest images.

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You only turn 1, once. Our baby horse is now an official yearling. She turned 1 year old on May 17th at 7:20am. We threw her a party at the barn and a good time was had by all. I want to thank all our party goers for sharing in this special day. We’ll let the pictures tell the story.

Cass and Becca know something is up, they just aren’t sure what.

We had snacks, drinks (even mimosa’s!), cake for them, cake for us…I had asked people to donate for Faith, the pregnant Shire mare at Miracle Horse Rescue, in lieu of bringing presents. Some still brought presents but they were all generous and shared their love to the tune of $410!

Eva, the cattledog, was on hand to keep everyone in line. She’s not used to trying to mange 15 or so people! The girl was pooped by the time we got home that afternoon.

The birthday girl wore purple for the day. She was certainly the star and drank in all the attention. That’s my sister, Vicki and her husband, Robert. Vick had a horse when she was young so being around mine now has been nice for her.

The favored gift was carrots. Becca is nicely snacking with Julie and showing off her fancy necklace.

Spencer meets our girl. Look at her kind eye…even with meeting a goofball!

Cass is thinking this all may be a bit ridiculous.

Ahhh! This time apples & carrots! Thank you, Bonnie!

Vicki looks on with Carol (Scottie’s mom) and her husband, Jimmy. Oh, no! The necklace…

Oh, well, it was very cute while it lasted.

Scottie & his mom. First time she met the girls or saw him in quite a while.

Jeff keeps his eye on the cows, who were unfazed by the whole shenanigans.

Don spends some one on one time with the birthday girl.

Jeff brought his pug/minpin pup, Betty Boop. Yikes! What a mug. (Betty’s not Jeff’s.)

Cass had to come check this out. They had a showdown of sorts.

Cass wins.

We put together the last year with the girls in photos. I was explaining key pictures to Debra, Don, Bonnie & Matt.

We have no power in the barn but a good breeze gets going through when both big doors are open.

Time for birthday cake! Yes, we sang to her.  From left to right: Spencer, Don, Carol, Jimmy, Julie, Debra, Eva, Cass, me, Becca, Terri, Matt, Bonnie, Kim, Jeff, Betty Boop, Tammy.

All ingredients vet approved by Dr. Carson. Thanks Bone Appetite!

Terri helps me help the girls. She is the property and cow owner. She’s also a big fan of Becca’s.

Ingredients were also Cass approved.

A rare photo of Scottie & me together.

Can you tell how smitten we are?

A little heart to heart here. I think he’s telling her about starting training for the Derby in a few years. What a story that would be – short, little girl pony outruns all the big boys!

Eva must have heard what he said to Becca. She thought they best get started training right away.

WHOOHOO!!!!! I’M A BIG GURL!!!!!!!! Happy Birthday Rebecca Maye.

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Last year on this day we were anxiously awaiting the birth of a special baby. Hoping and praying for the birth to go smoothly and for Cass to be alright was all that was on my mind. There were so many unknowns then but one thing I did know was that Cass knew how to be a mother.

Today mother and daugther are celebrating Mother’s Day! They have a strong connection that I don’t think will ever be broken. Cass keeps Becca in check but she is right there if she feels she’s threatened in any way. Becca is attached strongly to her mother, even though they were separated for months when she was spending time in Leslie’s herd. She has and always will be drawn to her. Cass has never been able to keep any of her babies, they were all taken and sold off a few months after birth.

We were worried once Becca began growing into a horse Cass may not be too hip on her being around. When we moved into our new place all those worries were quickly washed away. With Becca approaching her yearling mark, Cass seems to be enjoying her company. They share everything, including a special Mother’s Day treat of apples. They run after one another in the pasture. They are enjoying the fan that is now affixed in their shed. Most times when I drive up both are side by side inside. They each watch out for the other.

They say the influence of the mare is more important to the foal than the best bloodlines of any stallion. I hope that is true because Cass is a wonderful example of a kind and thoughtful soul. I wish I could take away her bad memories but I can only make her future safe and love filled.

Mother and Daughter, it’s going to be hard to tell them apart when Becca reaches adulthood. Be kind to your mothers and let them know how much you love them. Also, let them know they were always right.

Cheers to our other mother and son in residence at CassidyLand! A mother’s love is wonderful to watch in it’s truest form. Daddy Buford is playing his role, too, though I think he’s not-so-patiently waiting to breed her again. Men are such simple creatures.

My own family of furry and feathered babies gave me a Mother’s Day card with a fancy iced chocolate chip cookie. The card sings this song in totally annoying voices:

“We wish you happy Mother’s Day, we love you lots today. Well, we love you every day, but even more today! We love you more than hay, more than a fish fillet, more than a double latte, or a big ‘ol manta ray! Are we annoying you? That’s what we’re s’posed to do! Our song is almost through…in fact, it’s done!”

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!!!!!!

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It’s not easy being a baby…

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The first baby cow has joined us. He was born (admist some turmoil) last night and was rejected by his mom for a while. We were afraid he was gonna have to be bottle-fed, but then momma stepped up and took him in. All seemed well this morning when I snapped this shot before the cows realized I was approaching them.

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